Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-10-25-Speech-3-265"
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"en.20061025.24.3-265"2
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".
Mr President, the Socialist Group in the European Parliament warmly endorses the views expressed by the previous two speakers. How is it possible that the
was not stopped from causing so much pollution? Although this incident should have set all the red lights flashing, the Dutch Government, which should ultimately carry the can, is instead washing its hands in legal innocence. It refuses to honestly admit to mistakes, is reluctant to set up a fund for the victims in Ivory Coast, is passing the buck, and is refusing to take moral and financial responsibility. This is how the disappointing conduct of the Dutch Government can be summed up. That is why I would ask the Commission whether it is prepared to bring pressure to bear on the Netherlands to grant legal support to Ivory Coast and also to ensure that, in consultation with the UN, an emergency fund is set up for the victims of this disaster.
My African parliamentary counterparts have the feeling that the Netherlands and Europe, despite the Basel Convention, failed to guard them from this criminal behaviour. It is apparently acceptable to use Africa as a dumping ground. This creates a sense of inferiority which undermines a credible partnership between Africa and Europe, and has dealt our relations a huge blow. What steps do the Finnish Presidency and the Commission intend to take in the direction of Ivory Coast and the African Union?
Is the Commission prepared to draft proposals for measures to put an end to this dumping if possible, and where rules apply, to get them implemented? Is the Commission prepared to draw up a black list, annually, of countries and transnational companies that are involved in the illegal dumping of chemical waste in developing countries? Are the Commission and Council prepared to make legislative proposals in order to plug the loopholes in the Basel Convention, among other things, with the obligation on ships leaving Europe to leave their bilge water with the responsible authorities in the last EU port at which they call?
Finally, is the Commission prepared to take the necessary steps to assist developing countries in the identification of harmful substances and to guarantee that bilge water that is produced at sea is processed safely? I count on the Commission’s support and I hope that the Council will call the Netherlands to account about its responsibility; the chairman of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety was right to do the same with the Council. We have had plenty of fine words, now we want to see them translated into practice, and the laws enforced."@en1
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